A brief presentation of the Urkesh Global Record

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The Urkesh Global Record at a glance

The Urkesh Global Record, with its browser edition, is a conceptual effort to record the primary excavation data in such a way that they may be published in real time as the excavation progresses. It is “global” in the sense that all observations ever made are presented. It is, at the same time, a proper “edition” in the sense that each single observation, however minute, is embedded in a framework that corresponds in substance to a standard, narrative driven argument.

In the future, we expect that publication will be ready in this format very shortly after the close of excavations. By contrast, delays will obviously be the rule for all the digital books that record data excavated in earlier years, and in fact the time gap will grow larger as we work on material excavated at the very beginning of our project. In the end, however, we hope to have all data from all seasons available in the Global Record format.

Elsewhere, I offer some additional remarks on the digital dimension.

A full presentation of the system will appear in book format under the title A Grammar of the Archaeological Record.

Back to top: A brief presentation of the Urkesh Global Record

The dichotomy between observation and narrative

TEXT TO BE WRITTEN

Back to top: A brief presentation of the Urkesh Global Record

The browser interface of the UGR

My goal is to provide all the available documentary data in a format that suits the development of an argument, but is so shaped as to go beyond the standard linear dimension. The browser format is an essential component of this effort. It is immediately transparent in its mechanisms, and I trust that a small effort will allow the reader to easily understand the page layout. In a nutshell, the vertical bar on the left hand side (in red) presents the data with terms and concepts that are traditional in their import, while the vertical bar on the right hand side (in black) organizes the data in the technical format of the Urkesh Global Record. This is based on a detailed Grammar of the Archaeological Record, which develops both the theoretical underpinnings of the system and its operational details.

Portions of the Grammar are included in the digital presentation of the data, and they are hyperlinked to a number of entries – for instance, to provide precise definitions for technical terms used. A full presentation of the practical aspects of the system will appear in book format under the title Operation Manual for the Urkesh Global Record.

A broader description of the Grammar is given within the sitewide component of the Urkesh Global Record, in the upper portion of the right sidebar (black).

Back to top: A brief presentation of the Urkesh Global Record

Practical tips on the use of the UGR

• Digital books
• Excavation units
• Area books
• Mozan sitewide
• Urkesh website
• Left vertical bar
• Tabulations
• Logs
• Right vertical bar
• Incidentals
• Database